China's Comac May Have Built Electric Aircraft Demonstrator

Three years after Comac first displayed a model of its CE-25A electric aircraft, the Chinese airframer may have built the first full-scale example. Photos posted on the Weibo social media platform on October 28 by Chinese automotive influencer Han Lu appear to show a ground demonstrator version of the 19-seat aircraft on a taxiway. The state-owned airframer has yet to verify the sighting.

The demonstrator, registered as B-0EFH, features a T-tail and 10 ducted fans mounted above the wings, with five on each side. This architecture suggests Comac may be using a distributed electric propulsion system.

The CE-25A model was unveiled at the 2023 China International Import Expo in Shanghai, with published specifications showing a targeted range of between 400 and 500 kilometers (217 nm to 272 nm), maximum cruise speed of 217 knots and a pressurized cabin. Various Chinese media reports note that Comac’s subsequent claim to have a completed “verification flight” that year referred to a subscale model.

At the time, Comac said the all-electric aircraft was designed to “meet the needs of short and medium haul mass passenger transportation and high-end business.” While the OEM has not released updated technical data since, it did reconfirm its commitment to so-called ‘new-energy’ aircraft during its 8th "Green Comac Day" on June 5, outlining a three-pronged strategy covering aircraft development, manufacturing, and supply chains. The event also saw the launch of Comac's first zero-carbon workshop and the inauguration of a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Joint Innovation Research and Verification Center.

eVTOL and Drone in the Mix

According to an April 29 report by the China Economic Times, the CE-25A is part of a multi-tiered new-energy portfolio that also includes the CE-4VT and CE-1VT aircraft. Developed jointly by Comac’s Beijing Aircraft Technology Research Institute and its Customer Service Center, the CE-4VT is a four-seat passenger eVTOL powered by a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and lithium battery system. It combines four tilting propellers for forward flight with four dedicated lift rotors and targets a range of roughly 200 km. 

The institute issued a public tender on November 28, 2023, for a full-scale demonstrator airframe and tooling, and awarded the contract on January 2, 2024, without publicly disclosing the winning bidder. Nine months later, on September 28, 2024, the aircraft’s industrial design was selected as a Top 100 project in the UNESCO-backed “Shanghai Design 100+” global competition.

Rounding out the listed portfolio is the CE-1VT. The China Economic Times lists it as a "single-seat" aircraft; other industry reports characterize it as an uncrewed, hybrid-electric cargo drone featuring a compound-wing configuration.

Fellow state-owned airframer Avic is also turning to new-energy aircraft, with a broad electric family ranging from the AR-E40 drone to the AR-E3000. The company has announced more than 160 confirmed and prospective orders for its heavy-lift multirotor flagship, the AR-E800.

Developed jointly by Avic’s Changhe division and the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute, the AR-E3000 is earmarked for urban air mobility, logistics, and emergency rescue. It uses four wing-mounted tilt-propellers for forward and vertical flight, alongside eight VTOL-only rotors on under-wing booms.

The aircraft can be configured to fly both crewed and uncrewed missions. Reported specifications vary, but the AR-E3000 is widely cited as having a 2.6-tonne (5,720 pounds) maximum takeoff weight, a 450-kilogram (990 pounds payload, a 200 kilometer (109 nm) range, and a 280 km/h (152 knots) top speed.

In April 2025, Chinese media reported the maiden flight of the full-scale AR-E3000 technology demonstrator, developed in 13 months from concept. In July 2025, the uncrewed prototype completed a roughly five-minute maiden flight in Jingdezhen.

In late January 2026, Chinese media reports, quoting project engineers, stated that the demonstrator had logged 159 test sorties and reached technology readiness level 6. An Avic representative was previously cited as indicating that the company aims to secure type and production certificates within two to three years.